Constant level tank for vending machines



April 1, 1947. J. E. HAGSTROM 2,418,300

CONSTANT LEVEL TANK FOR VENDING MACHINES Filed June 22, 1944 1 2 Sheets-Sheet l 111 HIH \IHHIHIIIHHIIIIIIIHIHIHIIII'HIHIUW 7 z/ ATTOENIEK April 1947. J. E. HAGSTR OM I CONSTANT LEVEL TANK FOR VENDING MACHINES 2 sheets-sheet 2 Filed June 22, 1944 IN VEN T OR.

2 477DFNEY.

Patented Apr. 1, 1947 Jerome E. Hagstrom, Kansas City, Mo., assignor to C. Earl Hovey, Kansas City, .Mo., .as

trustee Application June 22, 1944, Serial No. 541,592

ficlaims.

, 1 Thi invention relates to vending machines for bottled goods of the character wherein the said bottles are. maintained in a liquid bathto cool the contents thereof, .and wherein said bath is agitated or circulated, and the primary aim of the invention is the provision of apparatus for maintaining the cooling bath at a constant level regardless of the number of bottles in the vending machine,

One of the important objects of this invention is to provide a vending machine for bottled goods having unique structure for cooling and circulating a liquid, and two separate containers for the liquid, one of which accommodates the bottles to be vended and has outlet openings in the sides thereofuto maintain the liquid at a constantlevel while circulation occurs.

A still furtheraim of this invention is the provision of a vending machine for bottled goods that has a bottle holding tank disposed in an elevated position within a compartment of the vending machine case, and equipped. with outlet openings near the top thereof, the siZe and disposition of the bottle tank and water compartment of the vending machine and theamount. of liquid therein being such as to maintain a level in the water compartment that is always below the outlet ports of the bottle tank regardless of the number of bottles contained therein.

Further aims of the invention will appear during the course of the following specification, referring to the accompanying drawings wherein:

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of a bottle vending machine made in accordance with the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a, vertical central sectional view throughthe vending machine, taken on line II-II of Fig. 1. l

' Fig. 3 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view taken on line III-III of Fig. 2, looking in the direction of the arrows; and

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary detailed sectional View taken on line IV-IV of Fig. 2.

One of the problems that has heretofore confronted operators of bottle vending equipment, is

the maintenance of a constant level of cooling liquid around the said bottles as the number thereof is altered due to removal of the bottles one at a time from the vending machine by the public. The constant level tank forming one of the elements of the combination contemplated by this invention, may be installed in conventional bottle cooling cabinets or maybe built as a part thereof when the cabinet is manufactured.

The preferred manner of embodying the invention in a-bottle vending machine is clearly illustrated in the drawings, wherein the numeral H] designates an insulated casehaving a water compartment l2 therein, along the bottom whereof is formed a trough M. This trough extends below the level of the floor 16 of compartment l2 and terminates at its one end in an-opening [8,, while the. other end thereof communicates with apump housing 26 set 01f from compartment. l2 :by .a partition 22. The upper portion of this housing 28 is in connection'with'an imperforate bottle tank 24 through the medium of a conduit 26.

Housing 26 contains a centrifugal pump 28 driven by motor 30.

Refrigerating coils 32 of conventional form and character are disposed within housing 20 to contact the circulating water for the purpose of low-- ering the temperature thereof as it passes through.

housing 215 toward bottle tank 24.

Bottle, tank 24 is supported above floor I6 of' compartment i2 by brackets or the like-34', and

ment 92 of case it isusually closed by vending equipment in the nature of that disclosed in U. S. Letters Patent No. 2,250,816, issued July 29, 1941, which allows the purchasing public to remove bottles iil one at a, time from tank 24.

A number of outlet ports 42 formed in the normally vertical side walls of tank 24 allows the water or other cooling liquid to flow from within tank 24 when the level is as illustrated in Fig. 2, or; on the same horizontal plane as the lower portions of ports 42. This water level will remain constant regardless of the number of bottles, 49 that ar carried by tank 24.

The amount of liquid employed for cooling the bottles should be sufiicient to cause its level to be as illustrated by line 44 in Fig. 2, when tank 24 is filled to capacity with bottles 40. When all of the bottles have been removed from tank 24, more of the liquid will be contained in said tank. and less in compartment l2, and the level of. the liquid under such condition will be along dotted line 46 of Fig. 2. The volume of water being circulated by pump 28 should be less than an amount to attain a level above outlet ports 42 of tank 24 when the bottle tank has a capacity load of bottles therein. Thus, very little if any of the lower portion of tank 24 will be submergedin the Water when the equipment is in normal operationfor example, after a few bottles 49 have been removed fro tank 24, the level of the water-willdropfrom line 44 to a point below the bottom of tank 24,

and thereafter, the tank will contain a suificient amount of the cooling liquid or water to maintain the level of the water in compartment 12 below the bottom of tank 24.

Opening l8 leading to trough I4 is at the end of compartment l2 remote from conduit ZBand as far away from a point below tank 24 as is practicabl in order that positive circulation may occur and to the end that re-cycling of cold water tank, 'therein'to maintain the water in the tank at a into small streams that fall into the water in compartment I2 over an appreciable amount of its surface- -thus, agitation and even distribution will be setup to maintain'a fairly constant temperature throughout the volume of liquid. It is notable that in the operation of the vendin machine, motor 30 will drive pump 28 to force.

water through trough I 4, housing 20, and conduit 26, and by so doinggwill bring the water into contact with cooling coils 32.

It is conceivable that vending machines for bottled goods having apparatus for maintaining the constant water level about a variable number of bottles, may bemade to present physical characteristics different from those illustrated and described without departing from the spirit of the invention or scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patentis:

1. In a vending machine of th kind described, an insulated case having a water compartment therein; an imperforate bottle holding tank disposed within the compartment; cooling means for the water; and a pump having connection with the water compartment and the said tank for forcing water from the compartment to the tank, said tank being provided with outlet ports for passage of water therefrom after said water reaches a predetermined level, the volume of water being circulatedby the pump being less than the full, combined outlet capacity of the outlet ports of the tank to maintain the water level belowthe respective, uppermost edges of the said outlet ports.

. 2. In a vending machine'of the kind described, an insulated case having a water compartment therein; an imperforate bottle holding tank disposed within the compartment; cooling means for the water; and a pump having connection with the water compartment and the said tank for forcing water from the compartment to the tank, said tank having outlet ports formed therein to maintain the water in the tank at a predetermined level, said water compartment of the case having a trough provided therein in communication with the pump, said compartment having a partition thereinto create a setoff space for housing the pump at one end of the compartment, said trough being in connection with said housing and disposed to draw water from the compartment at the opposite end thereof.

" 3. In a vending machine of the kind described,

an insulated case having a water compartment therein; an imperforate bottle holding tank diswith the water compartment and the said tank for forcing water from the compartment to the said tank having outlet ports formed ment having a partition thereinto create a set on space for housing the pump, said trough being in connection with said housing said cool- 4 ing means for the water being in said housing, the water circulated by the pump being forced through the said housing and into contact with the cooling means.

4. In a vending machine of the kind described, an insulated case having a water compartment therein; an imperforate bottle holding tank disposed within the compartment; cooling means for the water; and a pump having connection with the Water compartment and the said tank for forcing water from the compartment to the tank, 'said tank having outlet ports formed therein to maintain the water in the tank at a predetermined level, said compartment having a partition therein to create a setoff space for housing the pump, said cooling means for the water being in said housing, the water circulated by the pump being forced through thesaid housing and into contact with the cooling means as it approaches the bottle tank.

5; In a vending machine of the kind described, an insulated case having a water compartment therein; an imperforate bottle holding tank disposed within the compartment; cooling means for the water; and a pump having connection with the water compartment and the said tank for forcing Water from the compartment to the tank, said tank having outlet ports formed therein to maintain the water in the tank at a predetermined level, said compartment having a partition therein to create a set-off space for housing the pump, said cooling means for the water being in 7 temperature.

6. In a vending machine of the kind described, an insulated. case having a water compartment therein; an imperforate bottle holding tank disposed within the compartment; cooling mean for the water; and a pump having connection with the water compartment and the said tank for forcing water from the compartment to the tank, said tank having outlet .portsformed therein to maintain the Water in the tank at a predetermined level, said outlet ports being positioned in spaced apart relation throughout the length of the side walls of the tankto form a circumscribing group of escape openings for the water whereby to break the water flowing from the tank into relatively small segregated streams, said connection between the water pump and the c0mpartment being formed to remove water f-romth e compartment at a point spaced from the said streams.

JEROME E. HAGSTROM. REFERENCES CITED 'The following references are of record in the file of thispatent: 2

V UN TED STATES PA ENTS Number l 

